People are most aware of the discussion of the toxic chemical BPA or bisphenol-A and baby bottles. Most, however, do not know about the presence of BPA in the lining of canned foods and in the aspeptic boxes containing milk, soup, etc. Organic canned food is not exempt.
Better to cook from scratch.
Here's some information to help you learn more.
And if you're concerned about bread, read this and related posts.
Meat is becoming a problem and more and more foods are at risk of GMO ingredients, just like the boxed cereals you buy at the supermarket.
Get our newsletter - herbalYODA Says! - this year it's all about Natural Nutrition.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Better than BMI
Figuring out whether your weight is in the healthy range involves multiplication, division and calculating your height in inches, squared. If you do all that right, you'll get your Body Mass Index (BMI), which ideally should be in the range of 19 to 24.
Currently the BMI has been sidelined in favor of waist circumference measurements as being a better tool.
Now comes the revision of an old tool I used decades ago when I was in college and studying nutrition for health.
A Nevada professor of applied statistics has come up with an easier formula you probably can do in your head.
Here's how: for women, the baseline height is 5 feet and the maximum weight limit (MWL) is 125, meaning that if you're 5 feet tall and weigh more than 125 you’re over your MWL. If you're taller, add 4.5 pounds for every extra inch so if you’re 5'5", your MWL would be 147.5 (125 + 22.5). If you’re less than 5 feet tall, subtract 4.5 pounds for every inch below that baseline.
For men, the baseline height is 5'9" and MWL is 175. For every additional inch, add five pounds (or subtract five for every inch under 5'9"). Results closely correspond to your BMI.
Professor George Fernandez presented his new method at the Sept. 22, 2009 Nevada Public Health Association Conference.
Monday, January 11, 2010
IV Vitamin C Saves Man with Flu Damaged Lungs
If only US medicine was this open minded!
After 20 days of life-sustaining ECMO treatment and other critical care, the patient, who was unconscious by induced coma, had not responded. The ICU team advised the family of the likely outcome and had prepared them for the possibility of the patient’s death.Read more about the benefits of Vitamin C by searching Natural Health News.
Family members approached Centre for Advanced Medicine Limited (CAM) for advice on the clinical use of intravenous vitamin C for such cases.
At the family’s request, information was provided to ICU doctors including ISO 9001:2008 registered protocols, safety data, dosages and access to vials of IV vitamin C under CAM’s license for wholesale medicines.
The ICU team agreed to administer intravenous vitamin C according to the family’s wishes. This decision acknowledged the family’s rights, in compliance with the New Zealand Health and Disability Act, 1997.
The patient received intravenous vitamin C starting on the evening of 21 July, continuing until 29 July. 25 grams was provided on the first day increasing over the first three days to 50 grams twice daily which was sustained for a further six days.
By 24 July x-rays indicated increasing lung function and ECMO external oxygenation was discontinued on 26 July. After several days of assisted ventilation and critical care for ongoing secondary conditions, the patient was able to commence his recovery and rehabilitation.
Watching Processed Salt in Your Food
Here are a few tips I thought were fairly good for mainstream media, but I noticed the page ad was from Campbell's Soup. Campbell's is one of the biggest sodium, MSG, and Senomyx users; they aren't required to list Senomyx on the label either. Watch Your Salt
And some other good information you may want to know so you understand why you need natural salt, even for high blood pressure, and why Celtic salt or farmed salt is the best.
We do not recommend Pink Himalayan Salt. You can learn more about our reasoning in the many articles about the stuff by searching Natural Health News.
And some other good information you may want to know so you understand why you need natural salt, even for high blood pressure, and why Celtic salt or farmed salt is the best.
We do not recommend Pink Himalayan Salt. You can learn more about our reasoning in the many articles about the stuff by searching Natural Health News.
Berries for Your Brain
I've been wring on the health benefits of berries for a very long time. The operative word with all berries is that their flavonoids and proanthocyanidins (found in the seeds) are markedly anti-inflammatory.
Our very favorite Berry Supplement, the one we used every day - is here and we like this one too.
Our very favorite Berry Supplement, the one we used every day - is here and we like this one too.
Blueberries may boost memory in older adults
By Stephen Daniells, 11-Jan-2010
Supplemental blueberries for only 12 weeks may boost memory in older people with early memory problems, says a new study from the US.
A daily drink of about 500 mL of blueberry juice was associated with improved learning and word list recall, as well as a suggestion of reduced depressive symptoms, according to findings published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
The study is said to be the first human trial to assess the potential benefits of blueberries on brain function in older adults with increased risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and currently affects over 13 million people worldwide. The direct and indirect cost of Alzheimer care is over $100bn (€ 81bn) in the US alone. The direct cost of Alzheimer care in the UK was estimated at £15bn (€ 22bn).
“These preliminary memory findings are encouraging and suggest that consistent supplementation with blueberries may offer an approach to forestall or mitigate neurodegeneration,” wrote the researchers, led by Robert Krikorian from the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center.
“Interpretation of our findings should be tempered because of the relatively small sample size and the absence of a blueberry-specific control, although comparison with the analogous placebo beverage data provides some assurance that the observed changes in memory performance were not attributable to practice effects,” they added.
Berries are booming
Blueberry consumption has previously been linked to reduced risk of Alzheimer’s, with reports in 2003 leading to a boom in sales in the UK, going from £10.3m (€14.9m) in 2003 to almost £40m (€58m) in 2005, according to UK supplier BerryWorld.
The beneficial effects of the blueberries are thought to be linked to their flavonoid content - in particular anthocyanins and flavanols. The exact way in which flavonoids affect the brain are unknown, but they have previously been shown to cross the blood brain barrier after dietary intake.
It is believed that they may exert their effects on learning and memory by enhancing existing neuronal connections, improving cellular communications and stimulating neuronal regeneration.
Study details
Krikorian and his co-workers recruited nine older people with an average age of 76.2 and an average educational level of 15.6 years. Subjects were assigned to receive a daily dose of blueberry juice equivalent to between 6 and 9 mL per kilogram of body weight per day. The juice used in the study was provided by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America.
Results showed significant improvements in improved learning and word list recall. There was also a trend towards reduced depressive symptoms and lower glucose levels. Krikorian and his co-workers added that it would be interesting in future studies to examine if changes in cognitive function are associated with metabolic improvements.
“Replication of the findings in a larger, controlled trial will be important to corroborate and amplify these data,” wrote the researchers. “On balance, this initial study establishes a basis for further human research of blueberry supplementation as a preventive intervention with respect to cognitive aging,” they concluded.
The other researchers were affiliated with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging and Tufts University.
Source: Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,
Published online ahead of print, doi: 10.1021/jf9029332
“Blueberry Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults” Authors: R. Krikorian, M.D. Shidler, T.A. Nash, W. Kalt, M.R. Vinqvist-Tymchuk, B. Shukitt-Hale, J.A. Joseph
Married? Pay More Under Health Insurance Reform
Married Couples Pay More Than Unmarried Under Health Bill
by Martin Vaughan, Monday, January 11, 2010
Some married couples would pay thousands of dollars more for the same health insurance coverage as unmarried people living together, under the health insurance overhaul plan pending in Congress.
The built-in "marriage penalty" in both House and Senate healthcare bills has received scant attention. But for scores of low-income and middle-income couples, it could mean a hike of $2,000 or more in annual insurance premiums the moment they say "I do."
The disparity comes about in part because subsidies for purchasing health insurance under the plan from congressional Democrats are pegged to federal poverty guidelines. That has the effect of limiting subsidies for married couples with a combined income, compared to if the individuals are single.
People who get their health insurance through an employer wouldn't be affected. Only people that buy subsidized insurance through new exchanges set up by the legislation stand to be impacted. About 17 million people would receive such subsidies in 2016 under the House plan, the Congressional Budget Office estimates.
The bills cap the annual amount people making less than 400% of the federal poverty level must pay for health insurance premiums, ranging from 1.5% of income for the poorest to 11% at the top end, under the House plan.
For an unmarried couple with income of $25,000 each, combined premiums would be capped at $3,076 per year, under the House bill. If the couple gets married, with a combined income of $50,000, their annual premium cap jumps to $5,160 -- a "penalty" of $2,084. Those figures were included in a memo prepared by House Republican staff.
The disparity is slightly smaller in the Senate version of health-care legislation, chiefly because premium subsidies in the House bill are more targeted towards low-wage earners.
Under the Senate bill, a couple with $50,000 combined income would pay $3,450 in annual premiums if unmarried, and $5,100 if married -- a difference of $1,650.
Republicans say the effect on married couples whose combined income makes them ineligible for subsidies is even greater -- up to $5,000 or more -- but that is more difficult to measure because it includes assumptions about the price of insurance policies.
Democratic staff who helped to write the bill confirmed the existence of the penalty, but said it cannot be remedied without creating other inequities.
For instance, they said making the subsidies neutral towards marriage would lead to a married couple with only one bread-winner getting a more generous subsidy than a single parent at the same income-level.
"The Finance Committee, along with other committees in the Senate, took pains to craft the most equitable overall structure possible, and that's what we have here," said a Democratic Senate Finance Committee aide.
If the bill passes in its current form, it would be far from the first example of federal and social benefits creating incentives to remain single. Under current law, marriage can have a negative impact on a person's ability to claim the earned income tax credit and welfare benefits including food stamps.
In any progressive system of taxes or benefits, there are trade-offs between how well-targeted a subsidy is and how equitable it is, said Stacy Dickert-Conlin, an economics professor at Michigan State University.
"You might like to have it be progressive, equitable and marriage-neutral. But you have to decide what your goals are, because you can't accomplish all three," she said.
The marriage penalty in the health bill has not been a major focus of attack by Republican opponents of the bill, who are focusing on larger themes such as new taxes in the bill and growth in government spending.
But it has caught the attention of some conservative groups, who claim that the prospect of reduced subsidies will dissuade people from tying the knot.
"This seems to not only penalize the married, but also those who would have the most to gain from marriage -- the poor," said Jenny Tyree, an analyst at the Colorado-based Focus on the Family.
Ms. Dickert-Conlin said that isn't borne out by research in the area.
"Most of the literature says that people do not make decisions about whether or not to get married based on" government benefits, she said.
"You might see bigger effects on the timing -- someone choosing to get married in January, instead of December," she said.
Write to Martin Vaughan at martin.vaughan@dowjones.com
by Martin Vaughan, Monday, January 11, 2010
Some married couples would pay thousands of dollars more for the same health insurance coverage as unmarried people living together, under the health insurance overhaul plan pending in Congress.
The built-in "marriage penalty" in both House and Senate healthcare bills has received scant attention. But for scores of low-income and middle-income couples, it could mean a hike of $2,000 or more in annual insurance premiums the moment they say "I do."
The disparity comes about in part because subsidies for purchasing health insurance under the plan from congressional Democrats are pegged to federal poverty guidelines. That has the effect of limiting subsidies for married couples with a combined income, compared to if the individuals are single.
People who get their health insurance through an employer wouldn't be affected. Only people that buy subsidized insurance through new exchanges set up by the legislation stand to be impacted. About 17 million people would receive such subsidies in 2016 under the House plan, the Congressional Budget Office estimates.
The bills cap the annual amount people making less than 400% of the federal poverty level must pay for health insurance premiums, ranging from 1.5% of income for the poorest to 11% at the top end, under the House plan.
For an unmarried couple with income of $25,000 each, combined premiums would be capped at $3,076 per year, under the House bill. If the couple gets married, with a combined income of $50,000, their annual premium cap jumps to $5,160 -- a "penalty" of $2,084. Those figures were included in a memo prepared by House Republican staff.
The disparity is slightly smaller in the Senate version of health-care legislation, chiefly because premium subsidies in the House bill are more targeted towards low-wage earners.
Under the Senate bill, a couple with $50,000 combined income would pay $3,450 in annual premiums if unmarried, and $5,100 if married -- a difference of $1,650.
Republicans say the effect on married couples whose combined income makes them ineligible for subsidies is even greater -- up to $5,000 or more -- but that is more difficult to measure because it includes assumptions about the price of insurance policies.
Democratic staff who helped to write the bill confirmed the existence of the penalty, but said it cannot be remedied without creating other inequities.
For instance, they said making the subsidies neutral towards marriage would lead to a married couple with only one bread-winner getting a more generous subsidy than a single parent at the same income-level.
"The Finance Committee, along with other committees in the Senate, took pains to craft the most equitable overall structure possible, and that's what we have here," said a Democratic Senate Finance Committee aide.
If the bill passes in its current form, it would be far from the first example of federal and social benefits creating incentives to remain single. Under current law, marriage can have a negative impact on a person's ability to claim the earned income tax credit and welfare benefits including food stamps.
In any progressive system of taxes or benefits, there are trade-offs between how well-targeted a subsidy is and how equitable it is, said Stacy Dickert-Conlin, an economics professor at Michigan State University.
"You might like to have it be progressive, equitable and marriage-neutral. But you have to decide what your goals are, because you can't accomplish all three," she said.
The marriage penalty in the health bill has not been a major focus of attack by Republican opponents of the bill, who are focusing on larger themes such as new taxes in the bill and growth in government spending.
But it has caught the attention of some conservative groups, who claim that the prospect of reduced subsidies will dissuade people from tying the knot.
"This seems to not only penalize the married, but also those who would have the most to gain from marriage -- the poor," said Jenny Tyree, an analyst at the Colorado-based Focus on the Family.
Ms. Dickert-Conlin said that isn't borne out by research in the area.
"Most of the literature says that people do not make decisions about whether or not to get married based on" government benefits, she said.
"You might see bigger effects on the timing -- someone choosing to get married in January, instead of December," she said.
Write to Martin Vaughan at martin.vaughan@dowjones.com
Alzheimer's Reminder, Don't Overlook These Causes
Neurological Impact Of Fluoride Toxicity, from an article I wrote in 2001 and other important information to consider, plus the impact of overusing Serotonergic Drugs
While the links from fluoride consumption to cancer, osteoporosis, and other physical ailments are long established, recently studies have shown that fluoride impact is much broader and includes neurological and cerebrovascular effects.
Fluoride has been banned in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, West Germany (now unified), Italy, Belgium, Austria, France, and The Netherlands.
Tea (not including the herbal varieties) is a surprising culprit, in addition to fluoridated drinking water supplies and fluoride toothpaste.
A 52-week study of the factors that enhance or inhibit the bioavailability of aluminum and its effects on the nervous system was published in 1998 in the Journal of Brain Research. According to the report, the equivalent of fluoridated drinking water in terms of elemental fluorine levels had an impact on brain tissue similar to the pathological changes found in humans with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.
The introduction to the report noted, "One of their most remarkable findings was that animals administered the lowest dose of aluminum-fluoride (0.5 ppm) exhibited a greater susceptibility to illness and a higher incidence of mortality than the animals administered the higher levels (5 ppm, 50 ppm) of aluminum [without the fluoride].
"While the small amount of aluminum-fluoride in the drinking water of rats required for neurotoxic effects is surprising, perhaps even more surprising are the neurological results of the sodium-fluoride at the dose given in the present study (2.1 ppm) [the amount used to achieve 1 ppm of elemental fluorine used in fluoridation].
"In most reports of chronic fluoride toxicity, the data provided are usually limited to weight loss, dental and skeletal changes, indicators of carcinogenesis, and damage to soft tissues.
"Fluoride has diverse actions on a variety of cellular and physiological functions, including the inhibition of a variety of enzymes, a corrosive action in acid mediums, hypocalcemia [low blood calcium], hyperkalemia [excess blood potassium], and possibly cerebral impairment."
The authors summarize, "Chronic administration of aluminum-fluoride and sodium-fluoride in the drinking water of rats resulted in distinct morphological alterations of the brain, including the effects on neurons and cerebrovasculature."
A previous study by Mullenix, et al. in Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 1995, documents abnormal behavioral responses by animals exposed to fluoride at various stages of gestation, which resulted in permanent hyperactivity if exposed prenatally, or extreme lethargy if exposed after birth, with some animals not able to find their way out of a circular maze to the same food source every day.
This study of the neurological effects of sodium fluoride, which is commonly touted as a safe and even health-promoting drinking water additive, came on the heels of a recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association that 2 million people a year become ill, and more than 100,000 die, from medicines judged by the medical community to have been "correctly prescribed and correctly administered."
The fluoride/aluminum association is of particular importance as it relates to Alzheimer's Disease. Aluminum by itself is not readily absorbed by the body. However, fluoride ions combine with aluminum to form aluminum fluoride, which is absorbed by the body. In the body, the aluminum eventually combines with oxygen to form aluminum oxide or alumina. Protein bound to alumina in afflicted brains forms the plaques and tangles characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.
In a study by Dr. Robert Isaacson at the State University of New York, aluminum fluoride was added to rats' diet. This, contrary to normal expectations, passed through the brain barrier and gave the rats short-term memory loss, smell sensory loss, unsteady gait, and loss of structures of the neo-cortex and hippocampus, all symptoms of Alzheimer's. A Varner and Jensen study conducted with Isaacson confirmed this in 1998.
B-12 AND FOLATE CAN REDUCE ALZHEIMERS RISK Elderly people with low blood levels of vitamin B-12 and folic acid (folate) may face an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Vitamin B-12 plays an important role in maintaining nerve cells, and some research has linked low blood levels of the vitamin to Alzheimer's and mental decline. Few studies have looked at whether there is such a connection between Alzheimer's and folate, a B vitamin key to the production and maintenance of body cells.
The May 8, 2001, issue of Neurology reports on a study of 370 individuals aged 75 and older, in which investigators found that those with low levels of either vitamin were twice as susceptible to Alzheimer's over a 3-year period as those with normal levels. The link was even stronger among study participants who performed well on mental tests at the start of the study.
The reason for the link is unclear, but low blood levels of B-12 and folate can lead to elevations in the amino acid homocysteine, which may in turn damage nerve cells, the authors note. Vitamin B-12 is found in meat, fish, eggs, and milk. Vegetarians are advised to supplement their B-12 intake. Folate occurs naturally in leafy green vegetables, dried beans and peas, and citrus fruits, among others. Many cereals are fortified with folic acid, the synthetic form of folate.
Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia, affecting an estimated 4 million Americans. The exact cause remains elusive, but scientists believe genetics and environmental factors conspire to trigger the onset of the disease.
The May 8, 2001 issue of Neurology Magazine listed the following as warning signs of Alzheimer's Disease: memory loss that affects job skills; language problems; difficulty performing familiar tasks; misplacing objects; changes in mood and behavior; poor judgment; disorientation as to time and place; personality changes; problems with abstract thinking; and loss of initiative.
Brain imaging is recommended to help rule out other causes of memory loss or dementia. This includes computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Genetic testing has not been found particularly useful. [Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, 2001]
The elderly are not the only ones that need to worry about B-12. According to one practitioner, the most common cause of B-12 deficiency is a vegetarian diet.
The drug Prilosec (omeprazole) has been shown to decrease B-12 absorption [Annual of Pharmacotherapy, May 1999]. This is possibly due to its effects on decreasing the production of intrinsic factor, which is needed for proper B-12 absorption. Other medications may have similar adverse effects.
There is also little question now that B-12 and folic acid are useful to reduce homocysteine and the associated increase in heart disease and birth defects.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Cell Phones: An Odd Treatment for Alzheimer' s
UPDATE: Jan 31, 2010: An opinion on this issue from Andrew Goldsworthy BSc PhD
He ends his comments with the following -
http://mcs-america.org/mcsanewsfebruary2010.htm#_Do_Mobile_Phones
Most likely it is best to rely on precaution.
Jan 9, 2010
Cell phones are a cause of brain cancer, usually in the form of a glioma which seems to be more common these days. My 33 year old niece recently died from glioma but I don't know anything about her cell phone use, or whether or not she ingested aspartame. It is cause for wonder.
Now I am one of those people whom others always seem to think I know everything - sorry but I don't - however, I know a lot more than most. I'm also very actively engaged in reading the literature and nitpicking the data. Just one of those science nuts I guess you'd call me, with a bent toward accuracy in the use of the scientific method which doesn't seem too prevalent today.
One of the most ludicrous things I've heard lately is that some researcher alleges using a cell phone can help people with Alzheimer's. Cell Phone Radiation Can Prevent, Reverse Alzheimer's in Mice
I don't know about you but I am not interested in taking a change of glioma in order to forestall ALZ.
Too bad that more aren't turning back to the future and doing simple things like avoiding anything with fluoride, making sure their thyroid is in great health and demanding B12 shots.
To me this is just another one of those studies that someone or some agency or corporation funded that keeps a few people on the payroll while doing little to have an actual impact on disease prevention and cure.
If you're interested in this topic, use our search function, we've posted over 30 articles here at Natural Health News about Alzheimer's.
In Maine and San Francisco efforts are now underway to require brain cancer warnings on cell phones: There is reason to follow precautionary principles if you value your health.
He ends his comments with the following -
The take-home storyDr. Goldsworthy was a Lecturer in Biology (retired), Imperial College London, Copyrighted © 2010
To sum up, it is perfectly possible that unmodulated microwaves could mitigate the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, but modulated microwaves are likely to do more harm than good. So now may not be the time to buy granny a mobile phone, but we should nevertheless look more carefully at the effects of unmodulated radiation. It may really help, but we still need to proceed with great caution.
http://mcs-america.org/mcsanewsfebruary2010.htm#_Do_Mobile_Phones
Most likely it is best to rely on precaution.
Jan 9, 2010
Cell phones are a cause of brain cancer, usually in the form of a glioma which seems to be more common these days. My 33 year old niece recently died from glioma but I don't know anything about her cell phone use, or whether or not she ingested aspartame. It is cause for wonder.
Now I am one of those people whom others always seem to think I know everything - sorry but I don't - however, I know a lot more than most. I'm also very actively engaged in reading the literature and nitpicking the data. Just one of those science nuts I guess you'd call me, with a bent toward accuracy in the use of the scientific method which doesn't seem too prevalent today.
One of the most ludicrous things I've heard lately is that some researcher alleges using a cell phone can help people with Alzheimer's. Cell Phone Radiation Can Prevent, Reverse Alzheimer's in Mice
I don't know about you but I am not interested in taking a change of glioma in order to forestall ALZ.
Too bad that more aren't turning back to the future and doing simple things like avoiding anything with fluoride, making sure their thyroid is in great health and demanding B12 shots.
To me this is just another one of those studies that someone or some agency or corporation funded that keeps a few people on the payroll while doing little to have an actual impact on disease prevention and cure.
If you're interested in this topic, use our search function, we've posted over 30 articles here at Natural Health News about Alzheimer's.
In Maine and San Francisco efforts are now underway to require brain cancer warnings on cell phones: There is reason to follow precautionary principles if you value your health.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Effort to Promote Flawed Ginkgo Study Foiled by Facts
I am always amazed at the length to which mainstream medicine will go to show that herbs and supplements are not benficial to health and troubling health conditions so prevalent in today's world.
I usually see a too low dose, too infrequent dose, inferior products or some red flag that from the very beginning makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. In this case, according to Mark Blumenthal from the American Botanical Council, the right herb was selected.
My choice for therapeutic use is generally, always, properly prepared organic herbal liquid extracts rather than capsules. I am also not in favor of standardized products because they usually do not contain the full spectrum of the herb's beneficial constituents. For this reason I use one particular professional herbal extract product line in my work; it does make a difference.
I usually see a too low dose, too infrequent dose, inferior products or some red flag that from the very beginning makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. In this case, according to Mark Blumenthal from the American Botanical Council, the right herb was selected.
My choice for therapeutic use is generally, always, properly prepared organic herbal liquid extracts rather than capsules. I am also not in favor of standardized products because they usually do not contain the full spectrum of the herb's beneficial constituents. For this reason I use one particular professional herbal extract product line in my work; it does make a difference.
New ginkgo study flawed, say experts, by Pamela Bond
Ginkgo biloba did not slow the decline of mental function in seniors, according to a new study in The Journal of the American Medical Association.Source: http://www.naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com/tabId/119/itemId/4403/New-ginkgo-study-flawed-say-experts.aspx
“We found that there was no effect of the ginkgo biloba on these very slow but clearly detectable changes in thinking function in late life,” said Steven DeKosky, MD, dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and coauthor of the new ginkgo study, in The JAMA Report.
The researchers found that, compared with placebo, ginkgo (120 mg twice daily) did not result in less cognitive decline in the 3,069 adults aged 72 to 96 years participating in the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial held between 2000 and 2008.
According to Mark Blumenthal, founder and executive director of the Austin, Texas-based American Botanical Council, the new JAMA study is one of the largest and longest ginkgo studies to date. He applauded researchers for using what he considers the correct ginkgo extract (EGb 761) and the proper dosage amount. However, “there are many significant limitations of this study,” Blumenthal said. He cited the following flaws:
* The data were drawn from a previous clinical trial, which was not designed to determine the decline in cognition. The original study, published in 2008, was on prevention of dementia.
* About 40 percent of the subjects dropped out over the 6-year duration of the trial. The study included the dropouts for which no final data are available.
* Certain cognitive parameters were not monitored until several years after the trial began.
* The age of the subjects was quite advanced, at an average of 79 years at the beginning of the trial. It is unknown whether a younger group of ginkgo users would have been more responsive.
“The bottom line: This is not the definitive trial on ginkgo,” said Blumenthal.
“The results of this new trial must be viewed in proper perspective,” Blumenthal added in an ABC press release. “There is a vast body of pharmacological and clinical research supporting numerous health benefits for ginkgo extracts, particularly for improving various symptoms and conditions associated with declining cognitive performance and poor circulation.” Blumenthal also emphasized that the new trial showed the overall safety of ginkgo.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
FDA licenses high-dose flu vaccine for elderly
I just finished having a conversation with an investigative reporter regarding over-drugging of the elderly in care homes. This followed on Diane Sawyer's news piece last evening on ABC News.
Then I happened to check a message from Dr. Tenpenny about a vaccine targetted to the elderly containing foru times the amount of the reguar flu vaccine dose. The premise is alleged to be because the elderly have a less active immune system.
Someday I hope that these people who beleive that if you have a vaccine for every ailment you will health the world will wake up to the fact that the germ theory was completely debunked and we need to have a new paradigm.
Then I happened to check a message from Dr. Tenpenny about a vaccine targetted to the elderly containing foru times the amount of the reguar flu vaccine dose. The premise is alleged to be because the elderly have a less active immune system.
Someday I hope that these people who beleive that if you have a vaccine for every ailment you will health the world will wake up to the fact that the germ theory was completely debunked and we need to have a new paradigm.
By Robert Roos, News Editor
Dec 28, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a high-dose seasonal influenza vaccine for elderly people, whose aging immune systems may not respond effectively to flu vaccines intended for younger people.
The vaccine, Fluzone High-Dose, made by Sanofi Pasteur, contains four times as much antigen (active ingredient) as standard seasonal flu vaccines. The FDA and the company announced its approval Dec 23.
The vaccine is intended for people aged 65 years and older and will be available in time for the 2010-11 flu season, Sanofi officials said in a press release. It apparently is the first flu vaccine licensed in the United States specifically for older people.
In a large phase 3 trial conducted during the 2006-07 flu season, the vaccine induced significantly stronger immune responses than standard-dose vaccine did. Nonserious side effects were more common with the high-dose vaccine, but the overall safety profile was similar to that of the standard vaccine, the company said. The study did not assess actual protection from flu.
The FDA used its "accelerated approval pathway" to review the vaccine, the company having filed its application in March, according to Michelle Yeboah, an FDA spokeswoman. As part of that process, Sanofi will be required to conduct further studies to determine whether the vaccine decreases flu in recipients, the agency said.
"As people grow older, their immune systems typically become weaker," said Karen Midthun, MD, acting director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, in the FDA announcement. "This is the first vaccine that uses a higher dose to induce a stronger immune response that is intended to better protect the elderly against seasonal influenza."
Researchers estimate that elderly people account for about 90% of the deaths related to seasonal flu each year. In contrast, younger and middle-aged adults bear most of the burden of severe cases and deaths related to the pandemic H1N1 virus.
Each dose of Fluzone High-Dose will contain 180 micrograms (mcg) of antigen—60 mcg for each of the three flu strains normally targeted in seasonal vaccines, the FDA said. Standard seasonal flu vaccines contain 15 mcg for each strain, for a total of 45 mcg.
Sanofi Pasteur has been the largest producer of flu vaccine for the US market in recent years. Ellyn Schindler, a company spokeswoman, declined to say today how many doses of the high-dose vaccine might be made for the next season, commenting that production plans are proprietary and will depend in part on customer reservations.
"We have two influenza vaccine production facilities licensed in the U.S. which should provide adequate capacity to produce this vaccine as well as our other formulations of influenza vaccines for the 2010-2011 season," Schindler said.
Sanofi made 50.5 million seasonal vaccine doses this year and is producing 75.3 million doses of pandemic H1N1 vaccine, she noted.
The phase 3 trial of Fluzone High-Dose involved 3,856 elderly people, about two thirds of whom received that vaccine and a third the standard dose of Fluzone, according to Sanofi. A report of the trial was published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases (JID) in July.
Volunteers who received the high-dose vaccine had significantly stronger immune responses than those who received the standard dose. The response to the two influenza A strains (H3N2 and H1N1) in the vaccine met predefined superiority criteria, while the response to the B strain met noninferiority criteria, according to the JID report.
Injection-site reactions were more common in those who received the high-dose vaccine, but they were mild to moderate, the report said. The FDA said the rates of serious adverse events were comparable for the two vaccines.
In an editorial that accompanied the JID report, vaccine experts Gregory A. Poland of the Mayo Clinic and Mark J. Mulligan of Emory University commented, "Overall, the rate of adverse events in the HD [high-dose] vaccine group was acceptable although somewhat increased, as would be anticipated" for high-dose trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV).
Multiple studies now have yielded "uniform evidence of enhanced immunogenicity, acceptable reactogenicity, safety, and some evidence of efficacy for HD TIV influenza vaccines," Poland and Mulligan wrote.
Monday, January 04, 2010
Why Insurance Reform Doesn't Get You Better Health
Senator Lieberman who is holding positive movement on insurance reform in limbo may have reason to be concerned, especially where women's health is concerned.
It seems as if the controversy over Hadassah Lieberman, the Senator's wife, is on the payroll of the Komen Foundation to the tune of about $300K a year. Gary Locke's wife is on their payroll too, most likely lobbying while she's living in DC.
The problem with this is that Komen has no interest in CHANGE. For them it is PhRMA all the way, along with cancer promoting mammogram.
It might be why there is no effort to do more for prevention or more for research into the known environmental causes of cancer.
Nancy Brinkerman, CEO and sister of Susan Komen, is also suspect because she is on some PhRMA director's boards.
Do you wonder why the so-called health reform effort and the "race for the cure" keep circling the wagons and make deeper ruts?
It seems as if the controversy over Hadassah Lieberman, the Senator's wife, is on the payroll of the Komen Foundation to the tune of about $300K a year. Gary Locke's wife is on their payroll too, most likely lobbying while she's living in DC.
The problem with this is that Komen has no interest in CHANGE. For them it is PhRMA all the way, along with cancer promoting mammogram.
It might be why there is no effort to do more for prevention or more for research into the known environmental causes of cancer.
Nancy Brinkerman, CEO and sister of Susan Komen, is also suspect because she is on some PhRMA director's boards.
Do you wonder why the so-called health reform effort and the "race for the cure" keep circling the wagons and make deeper ruts?
Friday, January 01, 2010
Greetings for 2010 and Our RE-Commitment to Good Journalism
We're starting our sixth year at Natural Health News. For new readers, this blog is a continuation of work we started many years before through on-line broadcasts with These Orwellian Times, and our Health Matters© publications we began in 1991.
Other than the fact that our work didn' t just pop up because of a trend, or constant digital piracy like some other sites, you can be sure that our health (35+ years) and natural health (50+ years) background offers our readers a sound basis for our comments and selection of articles we believe to be important for your health.
Natural Health News invites you to follow us here and through our other venues, as well as to participate in the discussion.
Conflict between what may be simplistically termed " the old and the new" is far from ended. The recent and on-going battle for public health care shows us this as 2010 begins.
We' re still faced with health insurance reform bills that do not address the core of health care but only the ruling dictocrats who aren't wiling to give up anything. It may be that all that gets delivered is something that shows onlt that the system (as corrupt as it is) worked, because a bill was produced. After the bill may come the reality that the system isn't working too well for the common man; it only has its focus on more moneyed corporate interests that are at stake: profits for Big Insurance and Big PhRMA.
Natural Heakth News wishes you the best of health in the coming year and we hope you'll continue to be one of our many loyal followers. Tell your friends about us too...
And please consider supporting Natural Health News with your purchases and tax-deductible donations. It takes a great amount of work to keep our projects going.
Other than the fact that our work didn' t just pop up because of a trend, or constant digital piracy like some other sites, you can be sure that our health (35+ years) and natural health (50+ years) background offers our readers a sound basis for our comments and selection of articles we believe to be important for your health.
Natural Health News invites you to follow us here and through our other venues, as well as to participate in the discussion.
A REVIEW OF 900 MAINSTREAM MEDIA NEWS ARTICLES FROM 2009 -We hope to do much better because your health depends on it.
• 71% fail to adequately discuss costs.
• 71% fail to explain how big (or small) is the potential benefit.
• 66% fail to explain how big (or small) is the potential harm.
• 66% fail to evaluate the quality of the evidence.
• 60% fail to compare new idea with existing options.
Source: Health News Review
Conflict between what may be simplistically termed " the old and the new" is far from ended. The recent and on-going battle for public health care shows us this as 2010 begins.
We' re still faced with health insurance reform bills that do not address the core of health care but only the ruling dictocrats who aren't wiling to give up anything. It may be that all that gets delivered is something that shows onlt that the system (as corrupt as it is) worked, because a bill was produced. After the bill may come the reality that the system isn't working too well for the common man; it only has its focus on more moneyed corporate interests that are at stake: profits for Big Insurance and Big PhRMA.
Obama's stock falls as Medicare-for-all is abandonedFor this reason, with our commitment to your best health, during 2010 the focus at Natural Health News, and for all of our web and print work will be health and healing, because your " Health Matters©".
The Guardian, Friday 1 January 2010 An increasing number of Americans are voicing their disillusionment over the current healthcare legislation (Democrats in final push for healthcare bill, 21 December). It's a pity President Obama has largely taken a hands-off approach and meekly allowed the Republicans to shred the bill. Behind the scenes, the administration met secretly with the health insurance and drug companies and negotiated terms favourable to their continued high profitability. Predictably, the stock for insurance companies has soared to a 52-week high in anticipation of a measure that will force over 25 million Americans to buy health insurance. Millions of dollars have been doled out to lawmakers to cajole them into compliance. In the rush to pass a poorly crafted bill and declare "a healthcare victory", the Democrats have created an albatross around the neck of their party. It is tragic that support for a public option, or Medicare-for-all, which has overwhelming public support, has been abandoned. This is another shameful example of deeply entrenched business special interests triumphing over the aspirations of the American people. Jagjit Singh
Natural Heakth News wishes you the best of health in the coming year and we hope you'll continue to be one of our many loyal followers. Tell your friends about us too...
And please consider supporting Natural Health News with your purchases and tax-deductible donations. It takes a great amount of work to keep our projects going.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Health Lobby Fights Against Progress with $$$
If you aren't aware that the health insurance reform bills aren't being bought, here's an update on how the battle is moving from Congress payoffs to the state level -
" Insurance companies, hospitals and other health care interests have been positioning themselves in statehouses around the country to influence the outcome of the proposed health care overhaul. Around the 2008 election, the groups that provide health care contributed about $102 million to state political campaigns across the country, surpassing the $89 million the same donors spent at the federal level, according to the institute. " Health Lobby Takes Fight to the States
Prevent Amputation
Recent reports indicate that the risk of amputation for people with diabetes is increasing.
Rise in diabetes limb amputations
By Emma Wilkinson, BBC News health reporter
The number of people in England having a limb amputated because of type-two diabetes has risen dramatically, a study has shown.
The circulatory problems in diabetes can be prevented and along with this, reduction and/or elimination of the risk of amputation.
For decades those of us in natural health have known that several nutrients taken in therapeutic dose will forestall this problem.
Natural vitamin E, vitamin C, RK BioBlend, B vitamins, EFAs, and herbs like non-irradiated cayenne (35,000 HU), good garlic, as well as other approaches can help you extremely well. Using a health promoting food plan can be important too.
A Massage Technique for ulcers.
Rise in diabetes limb amputations
By Emma Wilkinson, BBC News health reporter
The number of people in England having a limb amputated because of type-two diabetes has risen dramatically, a study has shown.
Between 1996 and 2005, below-ankle amputations doubled to more than 2,000, and major amputations increased by 43%. Read complete articleCertainly there are many factors in this equation regarding food quality, food quantity, newer medications, lack of exercise, lack of access to clean water, and lack of prevention efforts.
The circulatory problems in diabetes can be prevented and along with this, reduction and/or elimination of the risk of amputation.
For decades those of us in natural health have known that several nutrients taken in therapeutic dose will forestall this problem.
Natural vitamin E, vitamin C, RK BioBlend, B vitamins, EFAs, and herbs like non-irradiated cayenne (35,000 HU), good garlic, as well as other approaches can help you extremely well. Using a health promoting food plan can be important too.
A Massage Technique for ulcers.
Zerose, Zevia or what ever you wish to call it, it's toxic by any name
UPDATE 2/3/10
Sorbitol and erythritol are both sugar alcohols and should be limited by people with diabetes - or anyone interested in health.
frequent google
Sorbitol and Diabetes
Sorbitol, a sugar alcohol, is a sugar substitute used in many foods labeled as “sugar free” or “dietetic.” It can be found in chewing gum, jellies, baked products, fruit cookies and even in some medications. It is used as a sweetener, to improve stability and/or to help retard moisture. Sorbitol is thought to be appropriate for use by people who have Diabetes Mellitus because sorbitol is converted to fructose in the liver, which is not dependent on insulin for metabolism. However, single doses of 10 to 50 grams of sorbitol may produce osmotic diarrhea, along with abdominal cramps and flatulence.Many food products containing sorbitol are actually higher in calories than products made with sucrose because of the fat that must be added to make sorbitol soluble. Sorbitol and sucrose have the same number of calories, although sorbitol is half as sweet as sucrose.The American Dietetic Association recommends that foods containing sorbitol be limited to portions containing 20 calories or less.
Post date 12/29/09
A few days ago, a visitor to Natural Health News wanted to know if the new sugar alcohol based sweeteners might be a cause of diarrhea.
The answer to this is that the sugar alcohol based sweeteners do cause gastrointestinal disturbances and this is one reason why we do not recommend nay products containing a blend of chemically altered stevia.
Stay with the natural forms of stevia, those with no additives or those that have been chemically altered.
Get pure stevia extract from us (see right column) or look for Just Like Sugar.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
GMO Crops: None too good for health
More herbicide use reported on genetically modified crops
Soy, corn, wheat, and any other crop you might want to list - again and again - are showing the long-criticized concerns postulated by scientists who have not been under Monsanto's thumb for the last couple of decades as this expands.
Soy, corn, wheat, and any other crop you might want to list - again and again - are showing the long-criticized concerns postulated by scientists who have not been under Monsanto's thumb for the last couple of decades as this expands.
A report released by the Organic Center found that the amount of herbicides used on genetically engineered crops has increased in the past 10 years, not decreased as might be expected. Since many genetically engineered crops were modified so that farmers could spray Roundup, or Glyphosate, to kill the weeds in their fields but not the crops themselves, the expectation was that less herbicide would be required. But the new report found that this is not what happened.Learn more here, here, here, and here
http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2009/1221/More-herbicide-use-reported-on-genetically-modified-crops
Vitamins for Alzheimer's
UPDATE: 3 December 2011
Melatonin in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders
July 2011
Rank in the TOP10 out of 3.9 M+ related articles
Updated from May 09
2004 Article, Don't Overlook There ALZ Remiders, Related NHN article This post ranks 1 of 1.23 Million about vitamins for Alzheimer's
Food and Life
HealthDay Reporter mentioned how cheap the vitamin is; the study authors "bought a year's supply for $30" and noted that it "appears to be safe." Even so, one author said that "I wouldn't advocate people rush out and eat grams of this stuff each day." (1)
The BBC quoted Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the UK Alzheimer's Research Trust, who said, "Until the human research was completed, people should not start taking the supplement. . . . people should be wary about changing their diet or taking supplements. In high doses vitamin B3 can be toxic." (3)
The Irish Times reiterated it: "People have been cautioned about rushing out to buy high dose vitamin B3 supplements in an attempt to prevent memory loss . . . The warnings came today one day on from the announcement . . .Vitamins in high doses can be toxic." (4)
Their choice of words is quaint but hardly accurate. There is no wild "rush;" half of the population already takes food supplements. And as for "toxic," niacin isn't. Canadian psychiatrist Abram Hoffer, M.D., asserts that it is actually remarkably safe. "There have been no deaths from niacin supplements," Dr. Hoffer says. "The LD 50 (the dosage that would kill half of those taking it) for dogs is 5,000-6,000 milligrams per kilogram body weight. That is equivalent to almost a pound of niacin per day for a human. No human takes 375,000 milligrams of niacin a day. They would be nauseous long before reaching a harmful dose." Dr. Hoffer conducted the first double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of niacin. He adds, "Niacin is not liver toxic. Niacin therapy increases liver function tests. But this elevation means that the liver is active. It does not indicate an underlying liver pathology."
The medical literature repeatedly confirms niacin's safety. Indeed, for over 50 years, nutritional (orthomolecular) physicians have used vitamin B3 in doses as high as tens of thousands of milligrams per day. Cardiologists frequently give patients thousands of milligrams of niacin daily to lower cholesterol. Niacin is preferred because its safety margin is so very large. The American Association of Poison Control Centers' Toxic Exposure Surveillance System annual reports indicates there is not even one death per year due to niacin in any of its forms. (5)
One the other hand, there are 140,000 deaths annually attributable to properly prescribed prescription drugs. (6) And this figure is just for one year, and just for the USA. Furthermore, when overdoses, incorrect prescription, and adverse drug interactions are figured in, total drug fatalities number over a quarter of a million dead. Each year.
The BBC's curious mention that we should even be "wary about changing our diets" is especially odd. More and more scientists think our much-in-need-of-improvement diets are what contribute more than anything to developing Alzheimer's. "There appears to be a statistically significant link between a low dietary intake of niacin and a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. A study of the niacin intake of 6158 Chicago residents 65 years of age or older established that the lower the daily intake of niacin, the greater the risk of becoming an Alzheimer's disease patient." The group with the highest daily intake of niacin had a 70 percent decrease in incidence of this disease compared to the lowest group. "The most compelling evidence to date is that early memory loss can be reversed by the ascorbate (vitamin C) minerals. Greater Alzheimer's disease risk also has been linked to low dietary intake of vitamin E and of fish." (7)
Nutrient deficiency of long standing may create a nutrient dependency. A nutrient dependency is an exaggerated need for the missing nutrient, a need not met by dietary intakes or even by low-dose supplementation. Robert P. Heaney, M.D., uses the term "long latency deficiency diseases" to describe illnesses that fit this description. He writes: "Inadequate intakes of many nutrients are now recognized as contributing to several of the major chronic diseases that affect the populations of the industrialized nations. Often taking many years to manifest themselves, these disease outcomes should be thought of as long-latency deficiency diseases. . . Because the intakes required to prevent many of the long-latency disorders are higher than those required to prevent the respective index diseases, recommendations based solely on preventing the index diseases are no longer biologically defensible." (8) Where pathology already exists, unusually large quantities of vitamins may be needed to repair damaged tissue. Thirty-five years ago, in another paper, Hoffer wrote: "The borderline between vitamin deficiency and vitamin-dependency conditions is merely a quantitative one when one considers prevention and cure." (9)
As there is no recognized cure for Alzheimer's, prevention is vital. In their article, the Irish Times does admit that "Healthy mice fed the vitamins also outperformed mice on a normal diet" and quoted study co-author Frank LaFerla saying that "This suggests that not only is it good for Alzheimer's disease, but if normal people take it, some aspects of their memory might improve." (4) And study author Green added, "If we combine this with other things already out there, we'd probably see a large effect."
The US Alzheimer's Association's Dr. Ralph Nixon has said that previous research has suggested that vitamins such as vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin B12 may help people lower their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. At their website (although you have to search for it), the Alzheimer's Association says, "Vitamins may be helpful. There is some indication that vitamins, such as vitamin E, or vitamins E and C together, vitamin B12 and folate may be important in lowering your risk of developing Alzheimer's. . . One large federally funded study (10) showed that vitamin E slightly delayed loss of ability to carry out daily activities and placement in residential care."
But overall, at their website http://www.alz.org/index.asp the Alzheimer's Association has strikingly little to say about vitamins, and they hasten to tell people that "No one should use vitamin E to treat Alzheimer's disease except under the supervision of a physician." ( http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10428.asp ) "They write as if these safe vitamins are dangerous drugs, not be used without a doctor's consent," comments Dr. Hoffer. "I have been using them for decades."
Niacin and nerves go together. Orthomolecular physicians have found niacin and other nutrients to be an effective treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, psychotic behavior, and schizophrenia. New research confirms that niacinamide (the same form of B3 used in the Alzheimer's research) "profoundly prevents the degeneration of demyelinated axons and improves the behavioral deficits" in animals with an illness very similar to multiple sclerosis. (11)
A measure of journalistic caution is understandable, especially with ever-new promises for pharmaceutical products. Drugs routinely used to treat Alzheimer's Disease have had a disappointing, even dismal success rate. So when nutrition may be the better answer, foot-dragging is inexplicable, even inexcusable. Nutrients are vastly safer than drugs. Unjustified, needlessly negative opinionating is out of place. Over 5 million Americans now have Alzheimer's disease, and the number is estimated to reach 14 million by 2050. Potentially, 9 million people would benefit later from niacin now.
"Man is a food-dependent creature," wrote University of Alabama professor of medicine Emanuel Cheraskin, M.D.. "If you don't feed him, he will die. If you feed him improperly, part of him will die."
When that part is the brain, it is dangerous to delay the use of optimum nutrition.
Vitamin D may help prevent Alzheimer's
Melatonin in Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders
Abstract
Increased oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction have been identified as common pathophysiological phenomena associated with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD). As the age-related decline in the production of melatonin may contribute to increased levels of oxidative stress in the elderly, the role of this neuroprotective agent is attracting increasing attention. Melatonin has multiple actions as a regulator of antioxidant and prooxidant enzymes, radical scavenger and antagonist of mitochondrial radical formation. The ability of melatonin and its kynuramine metabolites to interact directly with the electron transport chain by increasing the electron flow and reducing electron leakage are unique features by which melatonin is able to increase the survival of neurons under enhanced oxidative stress. Moreover, antifibrillogenic actions have been demonstrated in vitro, also in the presence of profibrillogenic apoE4 or apoE3, and in vivo, in a transgenic mouse model. Amyloid-β toxicity is antagonized by melatonin and one of its kynuramine metabolites. Cytoskeletal disorganization and protein hyperphosphorylation, as induced in several cell-line models, have been attenuated by melatonin, effects comprising stress kinase downregulation and extending to neurotrophin expression. Various experimental models of AD, PD and HD indicate the usefulness of melatonin in antagonizing disease progression and/or mitigating some of the symptoms. Melatonin secretion has been found to be altered in AD and PD. Attempts to compensate for age- and disease-dependent melatonin deficiency have shown that administration of this compound can improve sleep efficiency in AD and PD and, to some extent, cognitive function in AD patients. Exogenous melatonin has also been reported to alleviate behavioral symptoms such as sundowning. Taken together, these findings suggest that melatonin, its analogues and kynuric metabolites may have potential value in prevention and treatment of AD and other neurodegenerative disorders. Complete articleJuly 2011
Rank in the TOP10 out of 3.9 M+ related articles
Access the May 2007 issue of herbalYODA Says! that focuses on vitamin B12 with a donation to help us continue this work.
2004 Article, Don't Overlook There ALZ Remiders, Related NHN article This post ranks 1 of 1.23 Million about vitamins for Alzheimer's
Food and Life
for information on how to use B3 therapeutically, contact us for our fact sheet
UPDATE: 4 May, 2009
No wonder vitamin E works, it is antioxidant and carries O2 across the cell wall membrane as well as offering a myriad of other remarkable healing attributes.
Another FAT soluble vitamin to the rescue!
Use the search window to learn more about vitamin E on Natural Health News
Vitamin E may slow Alzheimer's disease By Megan Rauscher
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – An analysis of "real-world" clinical data indicates that vitamin E, and drugs that reduce generalized inflammation, may slow the decline of mental and physical abilities in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) over the long term.
"Our results are consistent for a potential benefit of vitamin E on slowing functional decline and a smaller possible benefit of anti-inflammatory medications on slowing cognitive decline in patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease," Dr. Alireza Atri told Reuters Health.
Atri, at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the VA Bedford Medical Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, led the National Institutes of Health-sponsored research. The findings, reported at the annual meeting of the American Geriatrics Society in Chicago, stem from data on 540 patients treated at the MGH Memory Disorders Unit.
All of the patients were receiving standard-of-care treatment with a drug intended to help patients with Alzheimer's. As part of their clinical care, 208 patients also took vitamin E but no anti-inflammatory, 49 took an anti-inflammatory but no vitamin E, 177 took both vitamin E and an anti-inflammatory, and 106 took neither.
While the daily dose of vitamin E ranged from 200 to 2000 units, the majority of patients were given high doses that ranged from 800 units daily to 1000 units twice daily.
Each patient's performance on cognitive tests and their ability to carry out daily functions such as dressing and personal care were assessed every 6 months. After an average of 3 years, "there was a modest slowing of decline in function in those patients taking vitamin E," study investigator Michael R. Flaherty noted in a telephone interview with Reuters Health.
Flaherty, a second-year student at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine in Biddeford, Maine, presented the findings at the meeting. He added that the treatment benefit from vitamin E was "small to medium" but increased with time.
Taking an anti-inflammatory medication was associated with "very consistent but generally only small effects on slowing long-term decline in cognitive functioning," Atri told Reuters Health.
However, in patients who took both vitamin E and anti-inflammatory medications, there appeared to be an additive effect in terms of slowing overall decline.
Given that past studies have produced equivocal results, the investigators conclude that further studies are needed to assess the long-term balance of risks versus benefits for people with Alzheimer's disease from taking vitamin E and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Copyright © 2009 Reuters Limited.
-------------------------
UPDATE: 23 MARCH, 2009
Niacin Protects against Alzheimer's Disease and Age-related Cognitive Decline
Niacin (vitamin B3) is already known to lower cholesterol. Now, research published in the August 2004 issue of the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry indicates regular consumption of niacin-rich foods also provides protection against Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline.
Researchers from the Chicago Health and Aging Project interviewed 3,718 Chicago residents aged 65 or older about their diet, then tested their cognitive abilities over the following six years.
Those getting the most niacin from foods (22 mg per day) were 70% less likely to have developed Alzheimer's disease than those consuming the least (about 13 mg daily), and their rate of age-related cognitive decline was significantly less. In addition to eating the niacin-rich foods, another way to boost your body's niacin levels is to eat more foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan. Your body can convert tryptophan to niacin, with a little help from other B vitamins, iron and vitamin C. Foods high in tryptophan include shrimp, crimini mushrooms, yellowfin tuna, halibut, chicken breast, scallops, salmon, turkey and tofu. As you can see, several foods rich in tryptophan provide two ways to increase niacin levels as they are also rich in the B vitamin.(August 23, 2004)
UPDATE: 12 March, 2009
Another supplement to help Alzheimer's: "One of the newer drugs developed in Europe apparently 'works' by protecting brain cells from damage by over-production of glutamate, one of the well known actions of lithium.
Other research findings strongly suggest that lithium may protect against Alzheimer's disease and slow the progression of the disease. Lithium inhibits beta-amaloid secretion and protects against damage caused by beta-amyloid protein after it has formed.
Over-activation of tau protein in the brain also contributes to neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer's disease, as does the formation of neurofibrilary tangles. Lithium inhibits both of these.
People with Alzheimer's have excess aluminum accumulation in brain cells. Lithium can help protect against aluminum accumulation through chelation and easier removal from the body."
See also a related B3 article I posted in November - xref: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
-----------------------------
While we are on this thread of natural help for dis-ease isn't it timely that I just received this article about how "High Doses of Vitamins Fight Alzheimer's Disease".
And now I am sharing it with you, for your education, and then you can ask your doctor why they aren't recommending them.
Vitamin B3 is also used successfully for schizophrenia, rheumatoid arthritis, arthritis, reducing plaque of arteriosclerosis and cholesterol reduction. It has an excellent anti-inflammatory action.
(OMNS, December 9, 2008) The news media recently reported that "huge doses of an ordinary vitamin appeared to eliminate memory problems in mice with the rodent equivalent of Alzheimer's disease." They then quickly added that "scientists aren't ready to recommend that people try the vitamin on their own outside of normal doses." (1)Specifically, the study employed large amounts of nicotinamide, the vitamin B3 widely found in foods such as meat, poultry, fish, nuts and seeds. Nicotinamide is also the form of niacin found, in far greater quantity, in dietary supplements. It is more commonly known as niacinamide. It is inexpensive and its safety is long established. The most common side effect of niacinamide in very high doses is nausea. This can be eliminated by taking less, by using regular niacin instead, which may cause a warm flush, or choosing inositol hexaniacinate, which does not. They are all vitamin B3.
In other words, extra-large amounts of a vitamin are helpful, so don't you take them!
That does not even pass the straight-faced test. So what's the story?
Researchers at the University of California at Irvine gave the human dose equivalent of 2,000 to 3,000 mg of vitamin B3 to mice with Alzheimer's. (2) It worked. Kim Green, one of the researchers, is quoted as saying, "Cognitively, they were cured. They performed as if they'd never developed the disease."
for information on how to use B3 therapeutically, contact us for our fact sheet
HealthDay Reporter mentioned how cheap the vitamin is; the study authors "bought a year's supply for $30" and noted that it "appears to be safe." Even so, one author said that "I wouldn't advocate people rush out and eat grams of this stuff each day." (1)
The BBC quoted Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the UK Alzheimer's Research Trust, who said, "Until the human research was completed, people should not start taking the supplement. . . . people should be wary about changing their diet or taking supplements. In high doses vitamin B3 can be toxic." (3)
The Irish Times reiterated it: "People have been cautioned about rushing out to buy high dose vitamin B3 supplements in an attempt to prevent memory loss . . . The warnings came today one day on from the announcement . . .Vitamins in high doses can be toxic." (4)
Their choice of words is quaint but hardly accurate. There is no wild "rush;" half of the population already takes food supplements. And as for "toxic," niacin isn't. Canadian psychiatrist Abram Hoffer, M.D., asserts that it is actually remarkably safe. "There have been no deaths from niacin supplements," Dr. Hoffer says. "The LD 50 (the dosage that would kill half of those taking it) for dogs is 5,000-6,000 milligrams per kilogram body weight. That is equivalent to almost a pound of niacin per day for a human. No human takes 375,000 milligrams of niacin a day. They would be nauseous long before reaching a harmful dose." Dr. Hoffer conducted the first double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of niacin. He adds, "Niacin is not liver toxic. Niacin therapy increases liver function tests. But this elevation means that the liver is active. It does not indicate an underlying liver pathology."
The medical literature repeatedly confirms niacin's safety. Indeed, for over 50 years, nutritional (orthomolecular) physicians have used vitamin B3 in doses as high as tens of thousands of milligrams per day. Cardiologists frequently give patients thousands of milligrams of niacin daily to lower cholesterol. Niacin is preferred because its safety margin is so very large. The American Association of Poison Control Centers' Toxic Exposure Surveillance System annual reports indicates there is not even one death per year due to niacin in any of its forms. (5)
One the other hand, there are 140,000 deaths annually attributable to properly prescribed prescription drugs. (6) And this figure is just for one year, and just for the USA. Furthermore, when overdoses, incorrect prescription, and adverse drug interactions are figured in, total drug fatalities number over a quarter of a million dead. Each year.
The BBC's curious mention that we should even be "wary about changing our diets" is especially odd. More and more scientists think our much-in-need-of-improvement diets are what contribute more than anything to developing Alzheimer's. "There appears to be a statistically significant link between a low dietary intake of niacin and a high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. A study of the niacin intake of 6158 Chicago residents 65 years of age or older established that the lower the daily intake of niacin, the greater the risk of becoming an Alzheimer's disease patient." The group with the highest daily intake of niacin had a 70 percent decrease in incidence of this disease compared to the lowest group. "The most compelling evidence to date is that early memory loss can be reversed by the ascorbate (vitamin C) minerals. Greater Alzheimer's disease risk also has been linked to low dietary intake of vitamin E and of fish." (7)
Nutrient deficiency of long standing may create a nutrient dependency. A nutrient dependency is an exaggerated need for the missing nutrient, a need not met by dietary intakes or even by low-dose supplementation. Robert P. Heaney, M.D., uses the term "long latency deficiency diseases" to describe illnesses that fit this description. He writes: "Inadequate intakes of many nutrients are now recognized as contributing to several of the major chronic diseases that affect the populations of the industrialized nations. Often taking many years to manifest themselves, these disease outcomes should be thought of as long-latency deficiency diseases. . . Because the intakes required to prevent many of the long-latency disorders are higher than those required to prevent the respective index diseases, recommendations based solely on preventing the index diseases are no longer biologically defensible." (8) Where pathology already exists, unusually large quantities of vitamins may be needed to repair damaged tissue. Thirty-five years ago, in another paper, Hoffer wrote: "The borderline between vitamin deficiency and vitamin-dependency conditions is merely a quantitative one when one considers prevention and cure." (9)
As there is no recognized cure for Alzheimer's, prevention is vital. In their article, the Irish Times does admit that "Healthy mice fed the vitamins also outperformed mice on a normal diet" and quoted study co-author Frank LaFerla saying that "This suggests that not only is it good for Alzheimer's disease, but if normal people take it, some aspects of their memory might improve." (4) And study author Green added, "If we combine this with other things already out there, we'd probably see a large effect."
The US Alzheimer's Association's Dr. Ralph Nixon has said that previous research has suggested that vitamins such as vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin B12 may help people lower their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. At their website (although you have to search for it), the Alzheimer's Association says, "Vitamins may be helpful. There is some indication that vitamins, such as vitamin E, or vitamins E and C together, vitamin B12 and folate may be important in lowering your risk of developing Alzheimer's. . . One large federally funded study (10) showed that vitamin E slightly delayed loss of ability to carry out daily activities and placement in residential care."
But overall, at their website http://www.alz.org/index.asp the Alzheimer's Association has strikingly little to say about vitamins, and they hasten to tell people that "No one should use vitamin E to treat Alzheimer's disease except under the supervision of a physician." ( http://www.alz.org/alzheimers_disease_10428.asp ) "They write as if these safe vitamins are dangerous drugs, not be used without a doctor's consent," comments Dr. Hoffer. "I have been using them for decades."
Niacin and nerves go together. Orthomolecular physicians have found niacin and other nutrients to be an effective treatment for obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, psychotic behavior, and schizophrenia. New research confirms that niacinamide (the same form of B3 used in the Alzheimer's research) "profoundly prevents the degeneration of demyelinated axons and improves the behavioral deficits" in animals with an illness very similar to multiple sclerosis. (11)
A measure of journalistic caution is understandable, especially with ever-new promises for pharmaceutical products. Drugs routinely used to treat Alzheimer's Disease have had a disappointing, even dismal success rate. So when nutrition may be the better answer, foot-dragging is inexplicable, even inexcusable. Nutrients are vastly safer than drugs. Unjustified, needlessly negative opinionating is out of place. Over 5 million Americans now have Alzheimer's disease, and the number is estimated to reach 14 million by 2050. Potentially, 9 million people would benefit later from niacin now.
"Man is a food-dependent creature," wrote University of Alabama professor of medicine Emanuel Cheraskin, M.D.. "If you don't feed him, he will die. If you feed him improperly, part of him will die."
When that part is the brain, it is dangerous to delay the use of optimum nutrition.
References:(1) Vitamin Holds Promise for Alzheimer's Disease. Randy Dotinga, HealthDay Reporter, Nov 5, 2008.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/05/AR2008110502796.html and also http://health.yahoo.com/news/healthday/vitaminholdspromiseforalzheimersdisease.html
(2) Green KN, Steffan JS, Martinez-Coria H, Sun X, Schreiber SS, Thompson LM, LaFerla FM. Nicotinamide restores cognition in Alzheimer's disease transgenic mice via a mechanism involving sirtuin inhibition and selective reduction of Thr231-phosphotau. J Neurosci. 2008 Nov 5;28(45):11500-10.
(3) BBC, 5 Nov 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7710365.stm
(4) Donnellan E. Caution urged over using vitamin B3 to treat Alzheimer's. Wed, Nov 05, 2008. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2008/1105/breaking91.htm
(5) Annual Reports of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poisoning and Exposure Database (formerly known as the Toxic Exposure Surveillance System). AAPCC, 3201 New Mexico Avenue, Ste. 330, Washington, DC 20016. Download any report from1983-2006 at http://www.aapcc.org/dnn/NPDS/AnnualReports/tabid/125/Default.aspx free of charge. The "Vitamin" category is usually near the end of the report.(6) Classen DC, Pestotnik SL, Evans RS, Lloyd JF, Burke JP. Adverse drug events in hospitalized patients. Excess length of stay, extra costs, and attributable mortality. JAMA. 1997 Jan 22-29;277(4):301-6.(7) 21. Hoffer A and Foster HD. Feel Better, Live Longer With Vitamin B-3: Nutrient Deficiency and Dependency. CCNM Press, 2007. ISBN-10: 1897025246; ISBN-13: 978-1897025246. Also: Foster HD. What Really Causes Alzheimer's Disease. Trafford, 2004. ISBN 1-4120-4921-0.(8) Heaney RP: Long-latency deficiency disease: insights from calcium and vitamin D. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003; Nov; 78(5):912-9.(9) Hoffer A. Mechanism of action of nicotinic acid and nicotinamide in the treatment of schizophrenia. In: Hawkins D and Pauling L: Orthomolecular Psychiatry: Treatment of Schizophrenia. San Francisco: W.H. Freeman. 1973; p. 202-262.(10) Sano M, Ernesto C, Thomas RG et al. A controlled trial of selegiline, alpha-tocopherol, or both as treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study. N Engl J Med. 1997 Apr 24;336(17):1216-22(11) Kaneko S, Wang J, Kaneko M, Yiu G, Hurrell JM, Chitnis T, Khoury SJ, He Z. Protecting axonal degeneration by increasing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide levels in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis models. J Neurosci. 2006 Sep 20;26(38):9794-804. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=pubmed See also: Vitamins fight multiple sclerosis. Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, October 4, 2006.For More Information:A complete copy of Dr. Harold D. Foster's What Really Causes Alzheimer's Disease is available in PDF format, free of charge: http://www.hdfoster.com/Foster_Alzheimers.pdfTo access a free archive of peer-reviewed medical journal papers on the safety and efficacy of vitamin therapy: http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/Review of nutritional approaches to Alzheimer's Disease: http://www.doctoryourself.com/alzheimer.htmlAdditional Reading:Klenner FR. Response of peripheral and central nerve pathology to mega-doses of the vitamin B-complex and other metabolites. Journal of Applied Nutrition, 1973. http://www.tldp.com/issue/11_00/klenner.htmMorris MC, Evans DA, Bienias JL, Tangney CC, Bennett DA, Aggarwal N, Wilson RS, and Scherr PA. Dietary intake of antioxidant nutrients and the risk of incident Alzheimer's disease in a biracial community study. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2002. 287(24), 3230-3237.Morris MC, Evans DA, Bienias PA, Scherr A, Tangney CC, Hebert LE, Bennett DA, Wilson RS, and Aggarwal N. Dietary Niacin and the Risk of Incident Alzheimer's Disease and of Cognitive Decline. J Neurology, Psychiatry 2004; 75: 1093-1099.Bobkova NV. The impact of mineral ascorbates on memory loss. Paper presented at the III World Congress on Vitamin C, 2001, Committee for World Health, Victoria, BC, Canada.Galeev A, Kazakova A, Zherebker E, Dana E, and Dana R. Mineral ascorbates improve memory and cognitive functions in older individuals with pre-Alzheimer's symptoms. Copy of paper given to authors by R. Dana and E. Dana, Committee for World Health, 20331 Lake Forest Drive, Suite C-15, Lake Forest, California 92630, USA.Bobkova NV, Nesterova IV, Dana E, Nesterov VI, Aleksandrova IIu, Medvinskaia NI, and Samokhia AN (2003). Morpho-functional changes of neurons in temporal cortex in comparison with spatial memory in bulbectomized mice after treatment with minerals and ascorbates. Morfologiia, 123(3), 27-31. [In Russian]Engelhart MJ, Geerlings MI, Ruitenberg A, van Swieten JC, Hofman A, and Witteman JC (2002). Dietary intake of antioxidants and risk of Alzheimer's disease: Food for thought. Journal of the American Medical Association, 287(24), 3223-3229.Grant WB. Dietary links to Alzheimer's disease: 1999 update. Journal of Alzheimer's disease, 1999, 1(4,5), 197-201.Barberger-Gateau P, Letenneur L, Deschamps V, Pérès K, Jean-François Dartigues JF, and Renaud S (2002). Fish, meat, and risk of dementia: Cohort study. British Medical Journal, 325, 932-933.
Vogiatzoglou A, Refsum H, Johnston C, Smith SM, Bradley KM, de Jager C, Budge MM, Smith AD. Vitamin B12 status and rate of brain volume loss in community-dwelling elderly. Neurology. 2008 Sep 9;71(11):826-32.
September 2010 Good News for B Vitamins and Your Brain
Vitamin D may help prevent Alzheimer's
SENDAI, Japan, July 12 (UPI) -- Low levels of vitamin D may be involved in age-related decline in memory and cognition as well as Alzheimer's disease, researchers in Japan say.
Tetsuya Terasaki of Tohoku University in Japan found vitamin D injections improved the removal of amyloid beta -- the build-up of the peptide amyloid beta in the brain is linked to Alzheimer's disease -- from the brain of mice.
"Vitamin D appears [to] increase transport of amyloid beta across the blood brain barrier by regulating protein expression, via the vitamin D receptor and also by regulating cell signaling," Terasaki says.
These findings, published in the journal Fluids and Barriers of the CNS, lead the way toward new therapeutic targets in the search for prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
Tetsuya Terasaki of Tohoku University in Japan found vitamin D injections improved the removal of amyloid beta -- the build-up of the peptide amyloid beta in the brain is linked to Alzheimer's disease -- from the brain of mice.
"Vitamin D appears [to] increase transport of amyloid beta across the blood brain barrier by regulating protein expression, via the vitamin D receptor and also by regulating cell signaling," Terasaki says.
These findings, published in the journal Fluids and Barriers of the CNS, lead the way toward new therapeutic targets in the search for prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
© 2011 United Press International, Inc
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Vitamin C and Healing Disease
Perhaps Linus Pauling was too far ahead of his time -
Vitamin C is key to creating stem cells
Vitamin C could be used to overcome hurdles in creating stem cells for treating human diseases, scientists believe.
Published: 24 Dec 2009
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6878565/Vitamin-C-is-key-to-creating-stem-cells.html
The vitamin boosts the reprogramming of adult cells to give them the properties of embryonic stem cells.
Scientists who made the discovery believe it may help them overcome long-standing problems in creating the reprogrammed cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
IPSCs offer a solution to the ethical problems involved in producing embryonic stem cells with the potential to become any kind of human tissue, from bone to brain.
Embryonic stem cells have to be extracted by cannibalising early stage embryos obtained from fertility clinics. IPSCs, on the other hand, are made in the laboratory from ordinary adult cells by altering their genes.
Many experts believe iPSCs are the future of stem cell medicine, since they behave in a similar way to embryonic stem cells and are also capable of developing into a wide range of tissues.
The conversion of ordinary cells into iPSCs is highly inefficient and difficult to achieve. Often the cells age prematurely and stop dividing or may die, a process known as senescence.
Adding vitamin C to the cell cultures was found to hold back senescence and make reprogramming much more efficient.
Experiments with both mouse and human cells showed that the vitamin accelerated genetic changes and boosted the transition to a reprogrammed state.
Dr Duanqing Pei, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Guangzhou, who led the research, said: ''The low efficiency of the reprogramming process has hampered progress with this technology and is indicative of how little we understand it.
''Further, this process is most challenging in human cells, raising a significant barrier for producing iPSCs and serious concerns about the quality of the cells that are generated.
''Our results highlight a simple way to improve iPSC generation and provide additional insight into the mechanistic basis of reprogramming.
''It is also of interest that a vitamin with long-suspected anti-ageing effects has such a potent influence on reprogramming, which can be considered a reversal of the ageing process at the cellular level. It is likely that our work may stimulate further research in this area as well.''
The research is published online in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Vitamin C's powerful antioxidant properties may be the reason why it assists cell programming, the scientists believe.
The vitamin neutralises damaging molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are believed to hamper the generation of iPSCs.
But this cannot be the whole story, since other antioxidants do not appear to have the same effect.
Vitamin C is key to creating stem cells
Vitamin C could be used to overcome hurdles in creating stem cells for treating human diseases, scientists believe.
Published: 24 Dec 2009
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6878565/Vitamin-C-is-key-to-creating-stem-cells.html
The vitamin boosts the reprogramming of adult cells to give them the properties of embryonic stem cells.
Scientists who made the discovery believe it may help them overcome long-standing problems in creating the reprogrammed cells, called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
IPSCs offer a solution to the ethical problems involved in producing embryonic stem cells with the potential to become any kind of human tissue, from bone to brain.
Embryonic stem cells have to be extracted by cannibalising early stage embryos obtained from fertility clinics. IPSCs, on the other hand, are made in the laboratory from ordinary adult cells by altering their genes.
Many experts believe iPSCs are the future of stem cell medicine, since they behave in a similar way to embryonic stem cells and are also capable of developing into a wide range of tissues.
The conversion of ordinary cells into iPSCs is highly inefficient and difficult to achieve. Often the cells age prematurely and stop dividing or may die, a process known as senescence.
Adding vitamin C to the cell cultures was found to hold back senescence and make reprogramming much more efficient.
Experiments with both mouse and human cells showed that the vitamin accelerated genetic changes and boosted the transition to a reprogrammed state.
Dr Duanqing Pei, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Guangzhou, who led the research, said: ''The low efficiency of the reprogramming process has hampered progress with this technology and is indicative of how little we understand it.
''Further, this process is most challenging in human cells, raising a significant barrier for producing iPSCs and serious concerns about the quality of the cells that are generated.
''Our results highlight a simple way to improve iPSC generation and provide additional insight into the mechanistic basis of reprogramming.
''It is also of interest that a vitamin with long-suspected anti-ageing effects has such a potent influence on reprogramming, which can be considered a reversal of the ageing process at the cellular level. It is likely that our work may stimulate further research in this area as well.''
The research is published online in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
Vitamin C's powerful antioxidant properties may be the reason why it assists cell programming, the scientists believe.
The vitamin neutralises damaging molecules called reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are believed to hamper the generation of iPSCs.
But this cannot be the whole story, since other antioxidants do not appear to have the same effect.
MRSA - Alternative Cure For 'Flesh-Eating' Bacteria
UPDATE: 26 December 2009 -
Once again I'm posting my challenge, a repost originally from August 2006. I'm expecting a response, as I usually do.
"How many times...? "as the song goes.
Alternative Cure For 'Flesh-Eating' Bacteria
From Gayle Eversole, DHom, PhD, MH, CRNP, ND, Creating Health Institute
4-8-5
A CHALLENGE TO MAINSTREAM MEDICINE TO VENTURE OUTSIDE THE BOX
Reported today by Gene Emery of Reuters, flesh-eating bacteria is once again making headlines.
Emery reports, according to Loren Miller of UCLA Medical Center and Scott Fridkin of the CDC, that skin infections are now found outside hospital and include a new strain of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Emery writes that doctors need to be aware of this and "switch to different antibiotics at the first sign of trouble."
He quotes Fridkin saying that "the alarm does need to be raised to people and clinicians that if you have a staph infection and it's not getting better, you'd better go back to your doctor." Later reports on findings from Miller's team saying that "doctors must shift their attitudes toward cases of necrotizing fasciitis -- the "flesh-eating" part of such a bacterial infection -- and check to see if methicillin-resistant staph is to blame."
Almost a decade ago, when flesh-eating bacteria were beginning to be reported, I called upon my experience as an intensive care nurse and manager of a burn center. I wanted to address this serious health problem from a natural healing perspective because I knew of the decades old problem with antibiotics that were not effectively treating the condition.
Emery's article further defines the problem of antibiotic resistance.
Consulting with a colleague of mine from the herbal traditions of Korea who spent a number of years at Dana Farber Institute at Harvard, I developed a protocol using a combination of his formulas that could be used for this condition. I submitted a package to a Washington State Department of Health researcher with clinical findings on the use of the formulas.
Time has passed quickly, yet at no time did I ever receive a reply, or even a glimmer of thought from this man about the possibility of a trial.
In response to a public health problem, I believed my approach deserved consideration because people were dying.
Subsequently, during the past decade I have responded to numerous media reports of flesh-eating bacteria, asking only for consideration. The closed minds locked in the Newtonian model prevalent in mainstream medicine never once gave consideration to a different way of seeing.
In addition to the herbal protocol I developed a series of fully referenced papers using pure essential oils to attack these bacteria. One of the texts I used as a reference is a medical textbook written by two French physicians. In France physicians are educated in the use of herbs and essential oils as therapeutic modalities.
Essential oils have a very long history and several have very effective anti-bacterial and anti-fungal capacity. Herbs used throughout thousands of years have this same capacity as well.
Seriously hoping to at least have one response, I am saddened to say that not one reply has ever been received.
One would now have to ask the question: What drives these health professionals to so totally disregard non-traditional treatment possibilities?
Today, I am placing my challenge on the table.
Doctors, if you are truly interested in treating and curing this problem, my protocols await.
NB: In early 2006 I was able to connect a research physician at Georgetown Medical School who is doing invetigation 'outside the box'. He advised me that "mainstream medicine is not ready to accept this." Of course, I do understand his comment but I have to wonder about the unwillingness to change and the cost of lives!
Related posts, 2 of about 2 dozen other similar articles in Natural Health News
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2006/08/mrsa.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2007/10/it-isnt-stopping-and-you-need-to-get.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: 11 January 2009 - A new product, Allicin-C, and Alli-Derm, add to your anti-MRSA arsenal. Purchase via our link in the right column.
------------------------------------------
More than 10 years ago this issue was repeatedly reported in the press. More than 30 years ago this was an issue discussed often by medical practitioners such as me. Thirty plus years ago doctors used to test anti-biotics in a test called 'C & S' (culture and sensitivity) not utilized too much today.
Mainstream medicine refuses to take my challenge, previously possted on this BLOG. I have added it in below for ease of reference. Maybe now someone might take a chance. Nothing to lose, and maybe save some lives along the way!...
Maybe intravenous high dose vitamin c might be tried. And at least you know this would not hurt you. This treatment saved a client of mine from liver and kidney transplant. Interferon treatments did not work and she developed liver and kidney failure. UW docs were baffled, yet they wouldn't ask...
Wash any suspicious area with pure soap and water and allow to dry thoroughly. Using specific pure essential oils will be very effective in treating and resolving this problem. Above all avoid the use of anti-bacterial soaps. These contain Triclosan and will kill off naturally occurring bacteria on your skin that serves to protect you from infection.
Many non-effective anti-biotics are on the market today and some of these have very serious side effects. Avoid fluoride based products for this reason.
Make sure you ask your doctor what kind of treatment is being prescribed. It is your right to know under the law.
A new study reports a surge in drug-resistant strains of a dangerous type of bacteria in US hospitals: Acinetobacter strikes patients in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and others and often causes severe pneumonias or bloodstream infection, some of which are now resistant to imipenem, an antibiotic that is reserved for last-line treatment.
Read Complete Story - New Strain of Resistant Bacteria ReportedI'm not sure how many times we have to read similar articles over the 16 years I have been involved in this issue in me effort to get some repsonse from MS medicine and MS media, while thousands suffer or die.
Once again I'm posting my challenge, a repost originally from August 2006. I'm expecting a response, as I usually do.
"How many times...? "as the song goes.
Alternative Cure For 'Flesh-Eating' Bacteria
From Gayle Eversole, DHom, PhD, MH, CRNP, ND, Creating Health Institute
4-8-5
A CHALLENGE TO MAINSTREAM MEDICINE TO VENTURE OUTSIDE THE BOX
Reported today by Gene Emery of Reuters, flesh-eating bacteria is once again making headlines.
Emery reports, according to Loren Miller of UCLA Medical Center and Scott Fridkin of the CDC, that skin infections are now found outside hospital and include a new strain of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
Emery writes that doctors need to be aware of this and "switch to different antibiotics at the first sign of trouble."
He quotes Fridkin saying that "the alarm does need to be raised to people and clinicians that if you have a staph infection and it's not getting better, you'd better go back to your doctor." Later reports on findings from Miller's team saying that "doctors must shift their attitudes toward cases of necrotizing fasciitis -- the "flesh-eating" part of such a bacterial infection -- and check to see if methicillin-resistant staph is to blame."
Almost a decade ago, when flesh-eating bacteria were beginning to be reported, I called upon my experience as an intensive care nurse and manager of a burn center. I wanted to address this serious health problem from a natural healing perspective because I knew of the decades old problem with antibiotics that were not effectively treating the condition.
Emery's article further defines the problem of antibiotic resistance.
Consulting with a colleague of mine from the herbal traditions of Korea who spent a number of years at Dana Farber Institute at Harvard, I developed a protocol using a combination of his formulas that could be used for this condition. I submitted a package to a Washington State Department of Health researcher with clinical findings on the use of the formulas.
Time has passed quickly, yet at no time did I ever receive a reply, or even a glimmer of thought from this man about the possibility of a trial.
In response to a public health problem, I believed my approach deserved consideration because people were dying.
Subsequently, during the past decade I have responded to numerous media reports of flesh-eating bacteria, asking only for consideration. The closed minds locked in the Newtonian model prevalent in mainstream medicine never once gave consideration to a different way of seeing.
In addition to the herbal protocol I developed a series of fully referenced papers using pure essential oils to attack these bacteria. One of the texts I used as a reference is a medical textbook written by two French physicians. In France physicians are educated in the use of herbs and essential oils as therapeutic modalities.
Essential oils have a very long history and several have very effective anti-bacterial and anti-fungal capacity. Herbs used throughout thousands of years have this same capacity as well.
Seriously hoping to at least have one response, I am saddened to say that not one reply has ever been received.
One would now have to ask the question: What drives these health professionals to so totally disregard non-traditional treatment possibilities?
Today, I am placing my challenge on the table.
Doctors, if you are truly interested in treating and curing this problem, my protocols await.
NB: In early 2006 I was able to connect a research physician at Georgetown Medical School who is doing invetigation 'outside the box'. He advised me that "mainstream medicine is not ready to accept this." Of course, I do understand his comment but I have to wonder about the unwillingness to change and the cost of lives!
Related posts, 2 of about 2 dozen other similar articles in Natural Health News
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2006/08/mrsa.html
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2007/10/it-isnt-stopping-and-you-need-to-get.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UPDATE: 11 January 2009 - A new product, Allicin-C, and Alli-Derm, add to your anti-MRSA arsenal. Purchase via our link in the right column.
------------------------------------------
More than 10 years ago this issue was repeatedly reported in the press. More than 30 years ago this was an issue discussed often by medical practitioners such as me. Thirty plus years ago doctors used to test anti-biotics in a test called 'C & S' (culture and sensitivity) not utilized too much today.
Mainstream medicine refuses to take my challenge, previously possted on this BLOG. I have added it in below for ease of reference. Maybe now someone might take a chance. Nothing to lose, and maybe save some lives along the way!...
Maybe intravenous high dose vitamin c might be tried. And at least you know this would not hurt you. This treatment saved a client of mine from liver and kidney transplant. Interferon treatments did not work and she developed liver and kidney failure. UW docs were baffled, yet they wouldn't ask...
Wash any suspicious area with pure soap and water and allow to dry thoroughly. Using specific pure essential oils will be very effective in treating and resolving this problem. Above all avoid the use of anti-bacterial soaps. These contain Triclosan and will kill off naturally occurring bacteria on your skin that serves to protect you from infection.
Many non-effective anti-biotics are on the market today and some of these have very serious side effects. Avoid fluoride based products for this reason.
Make sure you ask your doctor what kind of treatment is being prescribed. It is your right to know under the law.
Staph skin infections on rise in U.S.
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE, AP Medical Writer
A once-rare drug-resistant germ now appears to cause more than half of all skin infections treated in U.S. emergency rooms, say researchers who documented the superbug's startling spread in the general population.
Many victims mistakenly thought they just had spider bites that wouldn't heal, not drug-resistant staph bacteria. Only a decade ago, these germs were hardly ever seen outside of hospitals and nursing homes.
Doctors also were caught off-guard — most of them unwittingly prescribed medicines that do not work against the bacteria.
"It is time for physicians to realize just how prevalent this is," said Dr. Gregory Moran of Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, who led the study.
Another author, Dr. Rachel Gorwitz of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said: "I think no one was aware of the extent of the problem."
Skin infections can be life-threatening if bacteria get into the bloodstream. Drug-resistant strains can also cause a vicious type of pneumonia and even "flesh-eating" wounds.
The CDC paid for the study, published in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. Several authors have consulted for companies that make antibiotics.
Researchers analyzed all skin infections among adults who went to hospital emergency rooms in 11 U.S. cities in August 2004. Of the 422 cases, 249, or 59 percent, were caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Such bacteria are impervious to the penicillin family of drugs long used for treatment.
The proportion of infections due to MRSA ranged from 15 percent to as high as 74 percent in some hospitals.
"This completely matches what our experience at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital has been," said Dr. Buddy Creech, an infectious-disease specialist whose hospital was not included in the study. "Usually what we see is a mom or dad brings their child in with what they describe as a spider bite that's not getting better or a pimple that's not getting better," and it turns out to be MRSA.
The germ typically thrives in health-care settings where people have open wounds and tubes. But in recent years, outbreaks have occurred among prisoners, children and athletes, with the germ spreading through skin contact or shared items such as towels. Dozens of people in Ohio, Kentucky and Vermont recently got MRSA skin infections from tattoos.
The good news: MRSA infections contracted outside a hospital are easier to treat. The study found that several antibiotics work against them, including some sulfa drugs that have been around for decades. A separate study in the journal reports the effectiveness of Cubicin, an antibiotic recently approved to treat bloodstream infections and heart inflammation caused by MRSA.
However, doctors need to test skin infections to see what germ is causing them, and to treat each one as if it were MRSA until test results prove otherwise, researchers said.
"We have made a fundamental shift in pediatrics in our area" and now assume that every such case is the drug-resistant type, Creech said.
And, doctors need to lance the wound to get rid of bacteria rather than relying on a drug to do the job.
"The most important treatment is actually draining the pus," Gorwitz said. Many times that is a cure all by itself, she said.
The study was done in Albuquerque, N.M.; Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Kansas City, Mo.; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; New Orleans; New York; Philadelphia; Phoenix; and Portland, Ore.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Health Reform? or More Death by Medicine?
As MSM bombards us with news of the horrendous Senate bill proposal for "reform" and we look forward to what may be more problems when the House and Senate try to merge the erroneous ideas these proposals contain we encourage our readers to think about what may be coming and to share their concerns with friends and colleagues, as well as the corporate lackys in Congress aka "elected representatives".
Coming in 2010 is a new book by Gary Null, PhD, and several medical collaborators, including my colleague Carolyn Dean, MD, ND.
Also for 2010 is our year long focus on Natural Nutrition for health & healing. Look for great new information starting with the first issue of our long-running newsletter, herbalYODA Says! due out in mid January. You can sign up to receive this opt-in newsletter at http://www.leaflady.org/. Stay tuned to Natural Health News for health and natural health information (as always) on the cutting edge.
Coming in 2010 is a new book by Gary Null, PhD, and several medical collaborators, including my colleague Carolyn Dean, MD, ND.
Also for 2010 is our year long focus on Natural Nutrition for health & healing. Look for great new information starting with the first issue of our long-running newsletter, herbalYODA Says! due out in mid January. You can sign up to receive this opt-in newsletter at http://www.leaflady.org/. Stay tuned to Natural Health News for health and natural health information (as always) on the cutting edge.
The medical environment has become a labyrinth of interlocking corporate, hospital, and governmental interests increasingly controlled by drug companies. Drug company representatives write glowing articles about pharmaceuticals, which are then signed by physicians paid handsomely for their cooperation, though they may not fully understand the adverse side effects of the drugs they promote. The most toxic substances are often approved and used first, while milder and more natural alternatives are ignored largely for financial reasons. It’s DEATH BY MEDICINE.
DEATH BY MEDICINE:
· Reveals closely guarded secrets about the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry, the government, and the medical research establishment.
· Discloses through its research how drug companies are paying our legislators, television and radio stations, schools, and news outlets to keep information about dangerous medications from the public.
· Shows that more Americans are dying each year at the hands of medicine than all American casualties in WWI and the Civil War combined.
· Contains eye-opening information on why healthcare is the only business where you keep paying whether you get good results or not
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